Passenger data stolen from major UK airports | Computer Weekly

At the time of writing, there was no indication to suggest that MAG has fallen victim to a cyber extortion or ransomware gang, although this may change during the coming days.

While the breach appears to be largely contained, the greater issue for now will be for those affected, who are at risk of targeted individual cyber attacks depending in whose hands the data ends up. In general, such attacks will manifest as social engineering attempts leading to fraud.

In an email sent to passengers, a copy of which has been passed to Computer Weekly, MAG said there was no further action needed, but urged caution regarding unexpected emails, calls or SMS messages purporting to be from the organisation.

Huntress EMEA virtual chief information security officer (vCISO) and cyber security advisor, Muhammad Yahya Patel, said the combination of email addresses, phone numbers, and car numberplates was a valuable one that enabled a cyber fraudster to build a very precise targeting profile.

“Scammers now know you travelled, roughly when, and have two direct contact routes to reach you with a convincing story. When that data ends up in an unauthorised third party’s hands alongside parking and lounge booking details, it fills in a surprisingly detailed picture of someone’s travel habits,” said Patel, who is among those affected.

“If you’ve received a [breach] notification, as I have, treat any communication referencing your airport booking, parking, or travel details in the coming weeks with serious caution.

“MAG has confirmed they will never contact you to request payment details or passwords. Anything that does should be treated as a scam attempt using data from this breach,” he said.

Comparitech security specialist Brian Higgins added: “As AI makes data aggregation swift and easy consumers are waking up to the fact that criminals can monetise successful breaches in increasingly inventive ways.

“It’s no longer enough for data owning organisations to advise post-attack vigilance and turn to their backups. Victim communities rightly expect better protected networks and systems over and above established norms. As the marketplace grows less fearful and more angry when breaches are made public we may see more emphasis on cyber crime prevention which can only be a good thing,” he said.

More consumer guidance on cyber security for individuals and families is available from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).